Love is Unhealthy
by Jenn59
Summary: Sasuke...in love...with two people? Of course I believe you...now hand over the flying pig. SasuSaku and SasuOC
1. Chapter 1

**Ohhkay...so for this story I kept everything in "Naruto World" pretty much the same except for the fact that Orochimaru doesn't exist. Let's just say he got hit by a truck...Oh and everyone is like around seventeen years old…and there's no Sai either (sorry, to any Sai fans, but I don't read the manga). No big dif, right?**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I'd be on a beach in Hawaii sipping a non-alcoholic piña colada. I am not. That should answer any questions.**

* * *

Sasuke smiled. He was sitting in the kitchen with his mother, father, and Itachi. His father and Itachi were having a lively conversation about their recent missions and his mother was removing a pie from the oven. And then suddenly everything was falling. The table, the chairs, the sink, the fridge, and even his parents began to drop into oblivion. Soon only he and Itachi were left. "Help Nii-san! Help!!" cried Sasuke over and over as he felt himself being pulled down by an invisible force. "Save me!" But he didn't. Itachi just stood there and laughed. _What's wrong with him? Doesn't he still love me??_ Sasuke could feel tears forming in his eyes. "P-please…" he tried one last time, but it was to no avail. And then he was falling. He scrunched his eyes shut. He could feel his hair fluttering and his limbs dangling uselessly as he was plummeted into the bottomless void.

Sasuke opened his eyes. He was panting heavily and sweat beaded his forehead. He had had the same dream since the night Itachi slaughtered his family. It was a daily reminder of his purpose and he could not forget it. Even of he wanted to. He was no longer weak. He would kill his brother…no matter what he had to do.

* * *

Sasuke was walking down the street, (hands in his pockets as usual) looking for some place to satisfy his hunger. He had been training for hours on an empty stomach and was now facing the consequences. As he was walking, he spotted Sakura and met her gaze. Her bright green eyes were filled with sadness and longing. He quickly looked away and sped up his pace. Even now, Sakura refused to give up on him. He admired her for that, along with many other things, but he simply wasn't interested in Sakura. She was a good friend, but nothing more. He was never really interested in having a relationship. All that mattered to him was finding his brother and killing him, at least that's what he told himself. The only reason he acted emotionless because he didn't want to become close to anyone. His first reason for that is it would distract him from his goal, and his second reason was that he knew what it was like to lose someone close to you. He never wanted to experience that again. Sasuke was a sensitive person, even if he didn't look it…or seem it…or act it…or—well you get my point. The problem was, despite how hard he tried, he couldn't help but become close with people. In fact, he already had, but he wouldn't admit that to even himself. Sasuke's thoughts were then interrupted by a screeching blond in an orange jumpsuit. In other words: Naruto.

"SASUKE! SASUKE! SASUKE! SASUKE!" screamed Naruto maniacally.

"Shut up you idiot! I'm only two feet away!"

"SORRY!!!"

"Did you hear what I just said???"

"YEAH, WHY?"

"Naruto…shut…the hell…up…!"

"Sorry…"

Sasuke glared. "Well, what do you want??"

"I can't remember."

Sasuke blinked. "Well then I'm leaving."

"I remember now!"

"Well then what is it?"

"I forgot."

Now Sasuke was fuming. He turned around, hands still in his pockets, and walked away.

"Oh yeah…I remember now. There's some boy here in Konoha."

"Well, considering that fifty percent of our population is made up of boys, I'd assume that there's a boy in Konoha." Sasuke said, not bothering turn around or even stop walking. Naruto quickly ran to catch up.

"No, I mean a _new_ boy. He just moved here from somewhere else."

"Wow…" said Sasuke, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"He's our age"

"Amazing"

"He's smart"

"Whatever"

"He's stronger than Tsunade and everyone says he could even beat Itachi."

"I don't ca—what was that?"

"Uhh… He's stronger than Tsunade and everyone says he could beat even Itachi?"

"This better not be some stupid joke of yours Naruto."

"Swear to god. Apparently he's known as 'Blade' or something like that."

"Show me"

"Well I haven't seen him yet, Kakashi just told me about him"

"Where's Kakashi?"

"With Tsunade...hey! Where are you going??" Naruto yelled as Sasuke sprinted away.

* * *

_I can't believe it. It can't be possible. Naruto's lying. I can't believe it. _The same phrases had been going through Sasuke's repeatedly as he raced towards the Hokage building. _It's not true. It can't be. Can it? _He was so lost in his thoughts that he ran right into someone. A girl. She looked about two inches shorter than Sasuke. She had long wavy waist length hair that was an extremely unusual (yet pretty) dark reddish color…like wine. It was in a high pony tail, strands of it dangling down in front of her face. Her skin was a light tan color and she had a slim figure. But what stood out the most were her fierce dark brown eyes. They looked so strong and determined that Sasuke found himself fascinated…for about three seconds, and then, "Get out of my damn way!"

"Excuse me?"

"I said 'get out of my damn way'"

"Actually, this is the part where you apologize for running into me."

"Sorry. Now get out of my damn way!"

"I've heard sincerer things from a mushroom."

"Mushrooms don't talk…"

"Thank you, captain obvious."

"Whatever. I have bigger things to worry about than you."

"Oh please. Stop acting as if you're superior to me. I could beat your ass in two seconds flat."

"Heh…yeah…I'm sure."

She smirked. "If you don't believe me, then why don't you fight me?"

"I don't have time to waste on you" smirked Sasuke.

"Well if your too wimpy to fight, I'll start the fight off for you" And she did.

She punched him. Hard. And fast too, too fast for him to even see it and try blocking it. He flew back thirty feet and landed on the ground with a thud. And she wasn't even trying. He could see it in her eyes, they were mocking him. It has been easy. That was only a gentle flick by her standards. Now he was angry. He launched himself at her, determined to win. He threw punch after punch after punch. Nothing happened. She stood there and deflected everything…with one hand. The other she was using to cover her mouth as she yawned. Finally, she decided to do something and in one quick and fluid motion, she kicked his feet from under him and he fell to the ground. Then, before he could get up, she pulled out a long curved knife that was protruding from her waistband (which he sadly did not notice before) and held it up against his neck. She bent down next to Sasuke and whispered "dead" softly in his ear before she pulled back her sword and stood upright again. "You have bigger things to worry about, eh?" she mimicked, amusing herself.

Sasuke may be full of himself, but he was no idiot. She was strong. He didn't even get a chance to activate his sharingan! He hadn't felt this beaten up since his last encounter with Itachi. He quickly picked himself and gave her a calculating look before asking, "Who are you?"

She looked at him sideways and raised an eyebrow before replying. "Katana"

The way she said it made it seem as if the word was new to her.

"Her birth name may be Katana, but trust me Sasuke, it would be more fitting if you called her Kat," said a familiar voice from behind them. Sasuke turned around only to find himself face to face with Kakashi.

"Kakashi! If you call me Kat one more time, I swear I'll shove this sword up your—"

"Shut up Kat."

Katana looked livid.

Suddenly Sasuke remembered why he was here. He could deal with the girl later, but for now he needed to know about this Blade person Naruto told him about.

"Kakashi? Naruto told me about some boy…uh…Blade or something. I heard he's…uh…strong." Sasuke said, hoping it Kakashi would further explain. The look that previously occupied Katana's face was now replaced with a look of utter disbelief.

Kakashi chuckled, "You're looking at em."

Sasuke frowned, "I'm _pretty _sure he wasn't referring to you, Kakashi…"

"Sasuke…I wasn't talking about me…I meant Katana."

"What…?" He looked over at Katana. _It's a girl?_

"Don't look so surprised. I beat you after all."

It was true…but it still just didn't seem right.

"Well…I've got to run. I'll explain this to you some other time Sasuke." And with that, Kakashi disappeared, leaving Katana and Sasuke alone once more.

_How could I be so stupid, _thought Sasuke, _Katana literally _means _blade!_

"I didn't catch your name," commented Katana.

"That's because I didn't throw it."

"Very funny"

Sasuke smirked, "Yeah, yeah, okay. It's Sa—"

"No, no, never mind," Katana cut in, "I decided I didn't care."

Sasuke shrugged. "Your loss," he teased.

He was actually quite curious about this Katana person and found himself wanting to know more about her. Not many people would have the guts to talk to him like that. And she wasn't like any of his dumb fangirls either.

"Well…I've got somewhere to be right now. See you around _Sasuke_."

"I thought you didn't know my name."

"How dumb do you think I am? Kakashi said it three times in the past two minutes…it's not that hard to remember…"

"Then why the hell did you have to ask??"

"I wanted to see if you were as stupid as you are weak."

Sasuke laughed, surprising even himself. He knew she was joking, but with anyone else, he would've just glared anyway. He quickly regained his composure and kept his face expressionless once more. He looked up and saw Katana grinning at him. "See you around." And then she was gone. Sasuke stood there idly for another several minutes, trying to sort out his mixed emotions before getting up and heading home.

* * *

**This is my first FanFic so please, please review it means a lot me. And excuse any of my grammatical errors…**

**I'll try and update ASAP and I absolutely promise that I will not be one of those crazy FanFic authors who simply stop writing in the middle of their FanFic.**

**Oh yeah and the whole part where Katana puts her sword to Sasuke's neck and whispers "dead" is actually a scene from the book Eragon. I wish I could say that I made it up but unfortunately that's not the case…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Of course I own Naruto…why else would I be writing FANfiction about it...**

**this is a joke**

* * *

"Sasuke…SASUKE!"

Sasuke turned around, expecting to find Naruto, but instead he saw an out-of-breath girl covered in a messy heap of pink hair. "Yeah?"

"W-wanna…uh…would y-you mind…" Sakura stuttered.

"Would I mind what?" questioned Sasuke, though he knew what was coming.

"Wanna go have dinner with me?" Sakura blurted out.

_No, _thought Sasuke, _Sorry, but no…_ "Sure."

_Damn it! I'm just getting softer and softer towards her, aren't I? _In truth, Sasuke wanted to say yes because he couldn't bear to see her disappointed face again, but he knew it would only make it harder for her if he did. _Too late now…_

Sakura looked up, surprised. _Did he just say yes??_

"Did you just say ye—I mean…where do you want to go?"

"I don't care."

"Oh," Sakura frowned. She had hoped he would be a bit more enthusiastic. "How about Ichiraku?"

"Sure."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but then realized there was nothing to say. So she began walking. _Maybe I can start a conversation with him on the way there…_

"So…you go to Ichiraku a lot?"

"No."

"Do you like the food there?"

"No."

"Oh…well, we can go someplace else if you want."

"No"

"You sure?"

"Yes"

"Well…okay." _This is SO not going how I planned_, thought a confused Sakura.

* * *

"Soo…you wanna get something to eat?" asked Sakura, breaking the long and awkward silence that had settled in since they arrived at Ichiraku.

"Well that is why I'm here, isn't it?"

"I suppose…"

"Well then yes."

"Okay…I'm getting a pork ramen…what about you?"

"I'll have the same."

_Can he at least try and show _some _emotion?? Even he must know why I asked him!_ _Maybe I should try telling him something interesting…_

"Guess what happened last week?" said Sakura who was desperately attempting to receive some sort of response. "Me, Ino, and Shikamaru were sent on a mission last week and then—"

"Cool" cut in Sasuke, not bothering to let her finish. It hurt him to be this mean, it really did, but he did not want to risk hurting her. They had become too close for their own good.

Suddenly Sasuke heard a loud sniffle and looked up. Sakura's head was bowed down low and tears were steadily running down her face.

"Sakura…are you alright?" asked Sasuke, genuinely concerned.

She looked up. Her bright green eyes were brimming with tears and her eyes were red and swollen. Her pink hair was sticking to her face yet, despite her deranged look, she stilled seemed beautiful. "You didn't really want to come here with me, did you?"

_Of course I did, _thought Sasuke. "No. You're right…I didn't."

"Then that's all you had to say! Honestly Sasuke, why _did _you come with me? Were you _trying _to make me cry? Well if you were I can guarantee you that I cry enough over you as it is. Do you have to hurt me more??"

Sakura got up and ran out of Ichiraku, tears still pouring out of her eyes. Sasuke got up and ran after her. He grabbed her arm and she turned around abruptly.

"Sakura, I'm sorry. I just…I can't be with you! I know what it's like to lose someone close to you and I don't want it to happen again!"

"That doesn't mean you have to shut every one out!"

"Yes it does!"

"Well then, sorry for bothering you…" She said a bit harshly. She turned around and walked away. Sasuke could tell she was still crying. _Damn it! Why do I always have to hurt her?_

"Idiot," said a voice from behind him. He turned around quickly and found himself facing Katana. Her hair was up in a high ponytail again and her attire consisted of ripped jeans and a black tank top.

"What are you calling me an idiot for?"

Katana rolled her eyes, "I saw you and pinky just now…you aren't very well mannered, are you?"

"What do you want?"

"I want to know why you think shutting people out will solve all your problems."

"That's not really any of you business, is it?" said Sasuke acidly.

"No, it's not. But do you really think that matters to me?"

"Apparently not"

Katana looked up at him with her large brown eyes. "It won't help Sasuke. You're only hurting her more this way."

Sasuke stared at her. _She's right. _"Why does it have to be like this? Why does she have to make it so complicated??" asked Sasuke, not sure why he was dumping this all on her.

"Sasuke, you're the one who's making it complicated." Katana teased.

"I don't see your point," Sasuke grinned back.

Katana laughed. Her laugh was light and airy and Sasuke loved hearing it. But what he liked more was the fact that _he _was the one who was making her laugh. It felt good.

"Come on," said Katana, her brown eyes sparkling in the pale moonlight, "I want to show you something. She grabbed Sasuke's arm and began pulling him in the other direction. Sasuke could feel his hand prickling at her touch. He watched her long red hair flowing behind her as she ran, pulling him along. _She's beautiful, _he thought, and this time his conscience didn't stop him. "We're almost there," she said. Sasuke looked up and saw a bunch of red thorn bushes ahead of him. _This is where she wanted to go?? _But to his surprise she didn't slow down as she got closer to the bushes, she only sped up.

"Uhh…Katana…?"

"Don't worry. Trust me."

She ran through the thorn bushes (dragging Sasuke along, of course) and then she turned into an opening. Sasuke was too busy pulling the thorns out of him that he didn't notice where they were, but when he did, his jaw dropped. They were at the edge of a grassy cliff which overlooked the rest of Konoha. The streetlights and bright windows illuminated the landscape beneath the shining crescent moon. He looked around for Katana and found her sitting at the edge of the cliff, dangling her legs. He quickly followed suit and seated himself next to her. "This is where I go whenever I want to get away," said Katana to no one in particular.

"I thought you just moved here."

"I did but that doesn't mean I was never here before. I travel a lot."

Her voice sounded tired as she said that, and when Sasuke looked over, he could tell she was. Yet she was still staring out at Konoha with a fascinated look. Then she leaned on Sasuke and closed her eyes. He looked down at her and smiled. Her dark red hair was poking at his neck but he didn't care. This felt right. He felt like he _belonged _here…next to Katana. It was the first time in a long time that he felt like he belonged anywhere. _Wow, _thought Sasuke, _It's hard to believe that just a few hours ago I was with Sakura…wait! Sakura!. _Sasuke was so caught up in the events that he forgot about her.

_How could I say those things to her and then just come here! _Sasuke thought, berating himself. Suddenly Sasuke's previous "feel right" feeling was replaced with guilt. His stomach felt uneasy and he felt like he was betraying Sakura.

_This doesn't feel right_, he thought, taking on a completely different viewpoint. _I don't belong here…next to Katana. I can't believe how much I put Sakura in pain! _

Sasuke stood up hastily, causing Katana to lose her balance, but she quickly caught herself. "I'm leaving." said Sasuke simply, not bothering to explain. He turned around swiftly and began walking towards the thorn bushes when he felt a tug on his shirt. He turned around and saw Katana holding it, her face arranged it an angry expression.

"Care to explain?" she questioned expectantly.

"No."

"Actually, this is the part where you explain."

"This conversation is starting to sound oddly like the pointless conversation I had with you yesterday."

"You mean the one that ending with me kicking your ass?"

Sasuke glowered. "Why don't you stop acting like such a fucking bitch and let go of my goddamn shirt!?"

Katana eyes shimmered with an emotion that Sasuke could not decipher. Hurt, maybe?

Sasuke stood and waited for her witty retort, but what he got was very different.

"Your right," she sighed, "Now go apologize to pinky like you know you want to." And then she let go of her shirt and seated herself back at the cliff.

He stared at her, dumbstruck, but then turned and left without so much as a backward glance, though he badly wanted to.

* * *

**Sorry to those SasuSaku fans who were expecting a little more romance between Sasuke and Sakura, but don't worry, it shall come soon enough. And also sorry to any KataSasu fans who may have developed, but fear not, they will have their moments as well! Please review and tell me who you want to see Sasuke with more...Katana or Sakura? **

**And just a little side note: Sasuke _will_ pick someone in the end.**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Nightshadow Dweller, lovefatedestiny, Shadowform, _and_ hinatas-child:_ Thank you sooo much for giving good reviews…you have no idea how much it means to me. Glad you guys are enjoying the story.**

**_Animegirl1000, itachi-is-mine, kc, lovefatedestiny _(again), _Nightshadow Dweller _(again), and_ hinatas-child _(again)Thanks for your opinions! It helps a lot to hear what the readers want.**

**_Kattylin:_ I know it may have been hard to find any traces of SasuSaku, but for the beginning I wanted to introduce Katana's character more. And sorry, but I can't really understand your second review…**

**_Ceritheya:_ It could, but I wanted I wanted a strong, outgoing kunoichi. Maybe I could've used Tenten, but when I started writing, I hadn't really worked out this person's background yet, and I didn't want to make anyone too OOC. Besides, I badly wanted to create one myself…**

**Disclaimer: Do we really need disclaimers?? You'd have to be pretty stupid to think that I own Naruto. I think some idiot just put a disclaimer in their story and everyone felt the need to follow suit. I mean is someone actually going to freaking sue us because we wrote FanFiction! Am I the only one who feels so strongly about this? I probably am. Okay, I should shut up before I end up writing about the disclaimer instead of this chapter…**

**…oh yeah…I don't own Naruto…hehe woops. Almost forgot that part.**

* * *

"No…don't let mom and dad fall. Nii-san…please…save them…save me! PLEASE!"

Sasuke bolted upright so abruptly that he fell off his bed. "_Goddamn nightmares…_"muttered Sasuke, clearly irritated. "I need to get one of those dream catchers."

Sasuke stared up at his alarm clock. _Two twenty-seven am…How the hell am I going to get back to sleep now?_ He got dressed and went out the door, into the cool summer air.

* * *

Sasuke loved simply strolling around Konoha before dawn as a kid, and doing so again brought back painful memories of the past. But still he could not deny the nostalgic happiness that flowed through him.

"Sasuke?" a disbelieving voice called behind him.

Sasuke spun on his heel. It was Sakura. "What are you doing here?" he questioned.

"I couldn't sleep, what about you?"

"Same problem"

Sakura and Sasuke began walking in a slow pace side by side. They were silent, but this time, it was not the awkward silence they had experienced before. It was a peaceful silence that they both found comfort in.

Finally, Sakura broke the silence. "Do you know the time?"

"We still have two hours before dawn."

Sakura nodded her head and tried to hide the smile that was threatening to reveal itself. He had said it as if he wanted to stay here with her…as if their time was precious. Unfortunately, her attempt to keep her smile hidden didn't work.

"What's so funny…?"

Sakura blushed. "N-nothing."

_She looks beautiful when she blushes_, thought Sasuke. Her pink hair now matched her pink cheeks, making her eyes stand out even more. Sasuke smirked.

"Now it's my turn to ask you," said Sakura, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," replied Sasuke in an oh-so-cool voice that made Sakura's heart skip a beat.

"Listen, Sakura…sorry about the other day," Sasuke said awkwardly. He wasn't accustomed to apologizing.

Sakura tried to keep a happy face and accept his apology, but she was at a loss for words. She was so caught up in the moment that she completely forgot about the other night. She slowly nodded her head, hoping that Sasuke would comprehend her action as 'it's okay' and drop the subject.

But Sasuke was no idiot. "Sakura, I'm sorry! I don't know why you have to be so upset," said Sasuke, his words not coming out as he intended.

Sakura was beginning to get a little pissed. "For your information, Sasuke, I'm upset because no matter how much I do for you, you always treat me like I'm a nuisance! I know you don't want to get close to anyone, but can't you at least _act _nice. You have absolutely no idea how much you hurt me everyday!" she cried, tears forming in her eyes.

"Goddamn it, Sakura! Have you ever considered that maybe I couldn't help but get close to you? Every time I'm near you I feel like I'm a different person. I couldn't _act _nice because no matter how hard I try, anytime I see you, I get more and more attached to you. You're hurting me just as much as I'm hurting you!"

"How's that?"

"Because you're making me fall in love with you!" he screamed.

Sakura gasped and Sasuke mentally slapped himself as they both realized what he had said.

Sasuke looked hard at her, his expression stoic. She tried to look him in the eye, but his intent stare was making her nervous, so she just kept her eyes down. Sasuke took a step towards her and, though Sakura was in love with him, her uneasiness caused her to step back. He began walking towards her, and she simultaneously backed up…until she hit a wall. Sakura, realizing that she could no longer back away from him, looked up at him with an tense expression.

He stopped right in front of her and put his hands on her face. Sakura's stomach fluttered. He reached towards her and their lips met. He slowly began kissing her. It was a long, gentle kiss. Sakura stood there, unable to respond, and then slowly, she began to kiss him back. With Sakura kissing him back, he grew more passionate and moved closer until their bodies met. Sakura's stomach now felt like it was inhabited by a colony of butterflies. She stood up on her tip-toes (since she was still a bit shorter than him), wrapped her arms around his neck, and began to kiss him back just as passionately. Almost a minute went by like this, and though he hated to end it, Sasuke slowly pulled himself away from Sakura and ended their kiss.

He looked down at Sakura and saw a wide smile on her face.

"I've got to go," said Sasuke abruptly.

"Uhhh…o-okay…" said Sakura, a bit confused.

* * *

Sasuke lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "_What did you do?_" Sasuke questioned himself over and over. _So much for not getting close to anyone…you flipping **told **her you loved her! Now you have to break her heart! _Sasuke was not even sure what posessed him to do that, his body simply moved on its own. But those weren't the only problems for Sasuke. Though what he said about falling in love with her was true, he was also slowly falling in love with Katana. He did not know which one he wanted more, but if he were to pick Katana, would Sakura be able to bear the pain? _Wait! Did I just think about __**choosing **__one of them?? I shouldn't be in love with either of them! _Sasuke sighed. _I need some fresh air to clear my mind._ He looked over at his clock…_twelve thirty-two. Well, I might as well go get lunch. _

* * *

"SASUKE!"

"Naruto! I'm only three fucking feet away! How many times do I have to tell you not to shout like that!"

"SORRY!"

"_Naruto…!_" said Sasuke in a deadly voice.

"Hehe…oops…"

"So what do you want?"

"Nothing"

"…well then I'm leaving."

"WAIT!"

"Shut…up!"

"My bad…well, where are you going?"

"Lunch"

"Great! Come with us! The whole gang is having lunch at Ichiraku."

"No"

"Please…I'll shut up for a little bit, I promise!"

"Fine"

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto walked into Ichiraku, only to find it empty.

Naruto seated himself at one of the chairs and Sasuke, who had had the misfortune of watching Naruto eat ramen before, sat one away, just to be safe.

"So this is the whole gang, eh?" questioned Sasuke.

"No…there are three more people coming."

"And you consider that 'the whole gang'?"

"Well, I asked the whole gang, but Neji, Tenten, Ino, Shikamaru, and Kiba refused to come…"

"Imagine that."

"Let's see, Chouji and Lee are out on a mission and…well, I didn't ask Shino…he kinda freaks me out…"

"So I'm guessing two of the three who agreed to come are Sakura and Hinata. Hinata came because she's your girlfriend and Sakura came because she pities you, but who's the third?"

"Katana"

"Oh" Sasuke was not happy about seeing either Sakura _or _Katana, but it seemed like he didn't have a choice.

"She's pretty cool, isn't she?"

"Who?"

"Katana. I mean if your stronger than the Hokage by age seventeen, that's just awesome. She's also really pretty…" added Naruto, a visible blush appearing on his cheeks.

"And here I thought you were happy with Hinata…" Sasuke teased.

"I am!!! Stupid teme, I didn't mean I liked her! Hinata is the one for me."

"Touching"

Naruto laughed at his own cheesiness, silently pitying himself for being so damn weird.

"Naruto…Sasuke…" called a voice behind them shyly.

"Hey Hinata" replied Naruto.

She seated herself next to Naruto and they began having an animated conversation. Sasuke looked over at them. Hinata was smiling at Naruto and looked like there was no place else she'd rather be and Naruto was returning that look to her as well. Though it had been three years since they began dating, they never seemed to lose that fire. He'd never admit it to himself, but Sasuke was a bit jealous of their perfect relationship.

* * *

A few minutes later, Katana and Sakura walked in together, both of them were engaged in a deep conversation.

_Well, they've certainly gotten to know each other_, thought Sasuke sourly. For some reason this bothered him quite a bit. Unfortunately for him, Hinata and Naruto were sitting at the end of the counter, and there was only one space between Sasuke and Naruto. This meant that Katana and Sakura would have to sit on either side of him. Sasuke inwardly groaned.

Katana seated herself next to Naruto and Sasuke, clearly not wanting to be the one who was forced to sit by only Sasuke. Sakura, on the other hand, looked more like she _wanted _to be the one who had no one but Sasuke to sit by.

_God I hope she doesn't mention the kiss…_

"Hey, Sasuke" said Sakura happily as she sat herself down next to Sasuke.

"Hey" said Sasuke in a bored sort of voice, but it was rare he said anything to her at all so Sakura was content. _Then again he __**did**__ confess his love for me this morning_, Sakura reminded herself. She began to feel jittery as memories of this morning came back to her. She couldn't believe any of it was actually real. Before today, it seemed as if Sasuke only existed to make her feel the pain of not having what she wanted the most.

Throughout the rest of their lunch, she tried to start conversations with Sasuke, and though nearly all of her attempts failed, she could not hide her extreme delight.

* * *

_I can't believe it, _thought Sasuke as he was walking home from Ichiraku, _Sakura didn't mention a single thing about this morning. _He had spent most of his time with her avoiding all possibilities of conversation from fear that she would openly talk about their kiss with everyone listening.

Even Katana hadn't reacted the way he had expected considering that the last thing he said to her was 'Why don't you stop acting like such a fucking bitch and let go of my goddamn shirt', which isn't exactly the friendliest conversation starter. She was her usual light and airy self, even towards Sasuke. But Sasuke knew that she was not the type to show her emotions. If she really was upset at Sasuke, she would not have shown it.

_Holy hell! I sure am getting worked up over these two freaking girls! _Sasuke realized. _Oh dear god, what have I brought upon myself???_

* * *

**Sorry I updated later than usual. I was rollerblading with my friends and cut my lip. YOU HAD BETTER BE PITYING ME AND MY FAT LIP RIGHT NOW! Oh and for some reason FanFiction removed and deleted this chapter and all its changes after I had posted it which is kind of unhelpful...**

**When I began writing this story, I decided to leave out the "kun" and "san" and whatnot at the end of the names and not use too many Japanese words since I am not too well-acquainted with the Japanese language (I just know snippets of it from watching animes with English subtitles). I'm not even sure when to use the proper name ending-thingys so it seemed pointless to just put them in for the few I knew. But when I wrote Sakura saying "Hey, Sasuke" it just seemed so…_wrong_. I badly wanted to just write "Ohayo, Sasuke-kun". I don't know if any of you can relate to me but I thought I'd just share that…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Gawd…I can't decide which one I want Sasuke to pick. I had it decided when I began writing, but I just keep changing opinions! Your reviews are actually what keep persuading me to change my mind, but I can't satisfy everyone!!!! Maybe I should just make Sasuke commit suicide in the end that way I wouldn't have to worry about him choosing someone…**

**And feel free to keep posting your opinions on the whole Sakura or Katana thing because as you can see, your reviews are what keep me changing my mind. And I just finished figuring out the plot (which I had not done when I started writing), but feel free (VERY FREE) to PM me any ideas you have for my story anyway, but please do it soon. Thank you guys soooo much for your reviews.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own this ice cream I'm eating right now! It's REALLY good. It's a Ben N Jerry's (disclaimer: also not mine) chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cone. Just thought I'd share.**

**Oh and before I forget: A special thank you to Nightshadow Dweller for being the ONLY one to pity my lip!! As for the _rest _of you, I am utterly disappointed…okay not really, I love all my reviewers!**

* * *

Sasuke woke up and found himself sprawled on the floor, yet again. _When will these nightmares go away?_ Sasuke now dearly regretted the expensive dream catcher he bought the previous night. Luckily, it was already 7am so he got out of his bed, and went to find some breakfast.

* * *

"_Hey, Sasuke…"_ said a prissy voice from behind him. Sasuke winced…_Ino_.

"What do you want Ino?"

"Well, you know that outdoor party that everyone who's anyone is going to?" she said innocently as she clung on to his arm.

"No…actually, I don't," said Sasuke bitterly, though he knew perfectly well what she meant.

"Well it's from seven to, like, the next morning and there's going to be this live concert and food and, like, everything."

"Your point?"

Ino sighed, "Just reject me now…"

"Okay: no"

Ino laughed and walked away. They both knew perfectly well that she was dating Shikamaru, but Ino couldn't resist bothering Sasuke! "I'm gonna make him come to that party no matter what," she swore. She was plotting ways to force Sasuke to come to the dance when she saw a blur of pink hair walk by her. She looked up and saw Sakura who had a big grin on her face.

"What's got you so happy forehead?" questioned Ino.

"Sasuke," replied Sakura dreamily before she could stop herself.

Ino sighed. Unlike herself, Sakura refused to give up on Sasuke. Probably because she actually loved him. Ino just liked to goggle at him, but now she didn't even need him for that since Shikamaru took up all her other thoughts. "Sakura…your only letting him hurt you more."

"No Ino. He loves me!"

"And what makes you think that?"

"He kissed me."

Ino gasped.

"Oh my god! Ino, please don't tell anyone about that!"

"Of course I won't"

"Not even Shikamaru?"

"Not even Shikamaru." And Ino meant that. She loved Shikamaru and knew she could trust him with this sort of thing, but if Sakura wanted to keep it a secret, she would do just that.

"So," said Ino, drowning in curiosity, "What was it like? No, how did he do it? Could you feel your legs? Did you kiss him back? Where was it? Did you wrap your arms around each other?" Ino was now jumping around like a five year old.

Now it was Sakura's turn to sigh. _Some things never change_. "Ino, let's go back to my place and I'll explain _everything_."

* * *

Sakura and Ino were sitting out on the table that occupied Sakura's balcony. On the table was a plate of cookies and two glasses of milk. And so Sakura began to describe the kiss…which took almost two hours, despite the actual event taking no more than five minutes. Of course Ino kept interrupting in between to ask more questions, which lengthened Sakura's account drastically. But by the time they were done, Ino finally stated the question she was itching to ask since Sakura mentioned the kiss to her.

"So…why aren't you guys hooked up yet? I mean he's not even _acting _any different around you. I just don't get it."

"Well…I think he's in love with someone else too."

"Who?" inquired Ino. Sakura always seemed to know who was going to hook up years beforehand so it was no surprise she knew this.

"Katana"

"And what makes you think that?"

"I saw the way he was talking to her at Ichiraku. The way they acted together was just…I don't know. I just think—well…I don't know."

"I get it" said Ino, nodding her head, "And are you really upset about this?"

"Not really. I like Katana…she's really nice. It's not like she's trying to steal him from me. Besides, I still can't get over how lucky I am just for him to have _kissed_ me!"

"Well, let's start to get ready for that party tonight. I'll call Naruto and tell him to make _sure _that Sasuke comes. I was going to plot a way myself, but I don't have time. Besides…when Naruto puts his mind to something—"

"What mind?"

"Hmm…good question."

* * *

"For the last time…NO!"

"Come on Sasuke…"

"Why do you want me to go to that godforsaken party anyway??"

"Because Ino—I mean because _I know _you'd…uhh…love it," Naruto finished lamely.

"Naruto?"

"What?"

"Your crazy"

"Come on Sasuke!"

"No" said Sasuke simply. He turned around and began walking away.

"If you do…I promise that I won't throw any more costume parties at your house!"

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks. Now _that _was something worth going for.

* * *

"Ino…are you sure it's not too much?"

"I promise. You look great!"

Sakura was wearing a spaghetti strapped pink dress that stopped at her mid thighs. It was made of a silky material, yet it was still tight. Ino picked this out especially because it would 'show her curves'.

And it did. A little _too _much for Sakura's taste…she wasn't used to wearing such…revealing…clothing, but she had to admit that she looked great. And as if the dress wasn't enough, Ino put Sakura's hair up in an elegant fashion and put a light layer of makeup on her as well. Ino even insisted on letting her borrow her jade earrings, which perfectly matched her eyes.

Ino, on the other hand, was wearing a beautiful red cocktail dress and bright lipstick that matched. Her hair and makeup was done perfectly and Sakura couldn't help but be a little jealous of her.

"Trust me forehead," said Ino as if she could read her mind, "you look _way _better than me."

Sakura smiled, "Thanks pigface."

* * *

_I can't believe that I'm actually at this stupid party. Damn Naruto! _Hinata and Naruto had not yet arrived, so Sasuke tried to find some way to pass the time until they came. Soon, he found himself searching for any sight of wine red or strawberry pink hair. Sasuke shook his head and forced himself to look up at the sky instead. _What am I doing??? These girls shouldn't mean anything to me! In fact, I hope that they **don't **come! _And (of course) when he looked back down, he spotted them both.

Sakura, Katana, Ino, and Shikamaru were walking side by side. Shikamaru was, naturally, only there because Ino was clinging on to his arm.

_Wow,_ thought Sasuke, _they both look so damn good!_ Sakura was wearing a tight pink dress and Katana was wearing more of a loose flowing black one that stopped a little higher than Sakura's.

And then they spotted Sasuke…_great._

"I see you came" said Ino brightly, pulling at Shikamaru's arm.

"Troublesome woman…" muttered Shikamaru jokingly…well I _think_ he was joking anyway.

Luckily Ino was talking too loudly to hear this comment. "...And what's with this dumb music that's playing? Come on Shikamaru, let's go make them put on something we can dance to!"

"You can go. I think I'll stay here…" Ino most likely didn't hear him say this (for she was babbling on as usual) or she simply ignored it, but either way she dragged Shikamaru away from the other three, leaving them alone, yet again.

_Not again! _Sasuke could not believe his luck. Did god really hate him _this_ much?

"How have you been, Sasuke?" questioned Sakura immediately, not wanting this to become an awkward situation.

"Uhh…fine…?" Sasuke said it as more of a question than an answer.

Awkwardness then slowly took its opportunity to creep in, much to Sakura's dislike.

"So…" ventured Katana slowly, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence. Unfortunately, no response was received by her so-called conversation starter (shocker, right?). Deciding it was best not to stay, Katana looked around and hurriedly said "I'm going to go get something to drink."

And then there were two.

"Umm…how have you been?" asked Sakura.

"You mean for the past three seconds?"

"Oops…I forgot…" Heat rushed to Sakura's cheeks. _I can't believe I did something so stupid,_ she scolded herself. Sakura stared down at her feet in embarrassment, not wanting to look Sasuke in the eye. The lack of eye contact, however, only made it more awkward.

"Hey! Sasuke! Sakura!" screamed Naruto.

_I never thought I'd say this but, thank god Naruto's here! _Naruto and Hinata were walking towards them, hand in hand. Hinata was wearing a white dress that matched her eyes and her long blue hair was flowing loosely over her shoulders. Naruto (like Shikamaru) was wearing a suit...hehe.

"Hey Naruto. Hey Hinata," said Sakura in her usual welcoming voice.

As they began to exchange their redundant greetings, Sasuke took his chance to slip away. He knew he couldn't leave, because if Naruto found out, he'd have to deal with his stupid parties. So instead he decided to find some far-off, unoccupied area where he could still hear the music playing. _That's not considered 'leaving', is it?_ _Since it's an outdoor party, there aren't __**actually**__ any boundaries anyway…_And so he got up and walked away from the loud music.

Soon after, he found a clearing with a bench in the middle. It would have been the ideal spot, had Katana not been sitting there.

_Just say sorry and walk away…_ "Is that seat taken?"

Katana looked surprised, but shook her head.

Sasuke sat down next to her and could not believe what he had said. _How on earth could I have mixed up 'sorry' with 'is that seat taken'!? This has been happening a lot lately. I think I've developed some sort of mental illness…_

Sasuke and Katana stayed silent. The only sound they could hear was the fast-pace music playing in the background.

A few minutes later the music subsided and a deep voice on a microphone called out, "Okay ladies and gentlemen, it's time for a slow song! Grab your partners and get out on the dance floor...or dance grass I guess..." Sasuke grimaced at the person's pitiful attempt at humor. "If you don't have a partner, then just dance with the person closest to you, trust me it's more fun!"

_Of course he had to say that last line, _thought Sasuke bitterly. He could feel the uneasiness building up between him and Katana. He looked over at her. She was facing away from Sasuke, but she probably sensed him looking at her because she then turned towards him. They looked deep into each other's eyes. Sasuke felt like he was melting in her brown eyes…and he liked it. They didn't even have to say anything, for they both knew what the other wanted.

Wordlessly, they got up. Sasuke put his hands around her waist and Katana hung her hands loosely over his shoulders. They slowly began to dance, staring into each other's eyes all the while. On a sudden urge, Sasuke pulled Katana close to him. He could feel her body against his through that loose dress of hers, which caused goosebumps to spread rapidly across his skin, despite the hot weather. Their faces were now only centimeters apart, but they continued to gaze into each other's eyes stoically. _I want to kiss her...wait! Did I just think that? _Sasuke tried to shake the feeling away, but it refused to leave. So he gave in. He moved closer to her until their lips were only a hairs length away.

"Whoa…Sasuke teme!" _Perfect timing dobe!_

Sasuke and Katana quickly pulled away and found a shocked Hinata and Naruto staring back at them. Katana tried her best not to blush, she hated showing signs of weakness. "I have to go," said Katana. She turned around and walked away briskly.

Sasuke, not sure of what to do, simply said, "I think I should be leaving too." And he walked away as well.

"Sasuke and Katana? I can't believe it." said Hinata slowly.

"I know…they both seem pretty anti-social…" agreed Naruto, "But wait! If they're both anti-social, then they cancel each other out, thus making them social!"

"I don't think that's how it works, Naruto…" said Hinata uncertainly.

Naruto looked confused, but then a sad look filled his face. "Sakura will be upset."

"Naruto…we probably shouldn't tell her. In fact, I don't think Katana or Sasuke will like it if we told anyone either."

Naruto nodded, "Then we'll keep it our little secret."

* * *

**So I hoped you guys liked that chapter. Sorry to all my KataSasu fans for stopping their kiss...I just couldn't resist!**

**Please review and give me any feedback or like I said before you're welcome to PM me any ideas. Also, grammatical errors REALLY bother me, so please tell me if you see any and I will fix them immediately. I'm not a big fan of betas though...**

**REVIEW PLEASE...!!!! I don't mind flames, but they're not exactly _welcome_. On the other hand, constructive criticsm is more than welcome.**


	5. Chapter 5

**If you have a certain preference for whom Sasuke picks, then please tell me. Believe it or not, I'm not psychic and will not know if people want SasuSaku or KataSasu unless I am told. You may think that your one review makes no difference, but trust me, it does. Each opinion I hear makes me rethink my decisions, so please tell me any suggestions you may have (even if it is not SasuSaku or KataSasu related).**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Sasuke, on the other hand, is ****all**** mine, and I don't care what Katana and Sakura say, but I'm keeping him!**

* * *

Sasuke woke up panting for breath at 1:47am. Not the first time his nightmares cost him valuable hours of sleep. Not wanting to risk seeing Sakura again in one of his walks, he tried to find another way of occupying his time. This attempt failed, and instead he ended up wasting four hours. Sasuke for once didn't care. It was better than having to face Sakura. He just couldn't look her in the eye without feeling guilt, yet another part of him couldn't stop feeling guilt until he came clean. Oh, how he hated paradoxes…

* * *

Sasuke pulled at his hair and groaned in frustration. Despite seven hours of straight training without even stopping for a meal, he couldn't stop the guilt. Every time he turned around he saw Sakura. She filled his every thought, haunting him. He felt wrong, as if something big and hairy had settled into the pit of his stomach. _I must Sakura stay Sakura focused Sakura on Sakura training! _As you could see, that course of action wasn't exactly working out too well for him. The wind blew, causing Sasuke's hair to settle right in front if his eyes and tickle his nose. Sasuke groaned and moved it away. A bird chirped…loudly. Too loudly for Sasuke. So he threw a rock at it. The bird flew away hastily. A fly buzzed near his ear. Sasuke released a quick flow of chakra and killed it. The wind blew again. Sasuke growled angrily and removed the strand of hair that irritated his nose yet again. His mouth tasted funny. His stomach growled. His eye was twitching. His sanity was evaporating. Heck, even his too-cool-for-a-haircut composure was leaving him.

In other words, Sasuke was agitated. His guilt was eating him from the inside. The smallest things were pissing him off. He had to go see Sakura, before he went crazy...he also needed to eat before he passed out…

* * *

If one were to walk past the Haruno household that evening, they would hear loud sobs through one of the open windows. Sobs of a seventeen-year-old girl who had just had her heart broken. Sobs of one Haruno Sakura.

She had been there…she had seen. Sasuke thought no one had noticed him slip away, but how could she not? Every one of her thoughts had been focused around him since she turned five. She had made a mental note of where Sasuke was headed, and then she too slipped away when she had her chance. She had seen him in a clearing with his arms wrapped around Katana. She had been right about them, but she would much rather be wrong. She tried to make her legs move, tried to make herself walk away, but her limbs would not oblige. Naruto and Hinata had come looking for her, and it was they who prevented their kiss. Had they not come, Sakura did not know how she could be able to deal with watching the person she loved kiss another. She no longer remember the delight that Sasuke's kiss with her had brought, in fact she hardly even remembered _that _kiss at all. All she could think about was the almost-kiss he shared with Katana and the emotion shimmering in his eyes as he did so. It was the most emotion she had ever seen from him, and it shattered her heart to know that she would never see that look directed to her. Only to Katana. _No…I must be strong…I have to…move on…_Even as she thought it, she knew it would be impossible for her. Her love for Sasuke was not some puppy love that would die down after a few months, it was true love. If only he could return the feeling. For her there was only one, and that was Uchiha Sasuke.

* * *

Sasuke quickly paid the cashier, grabbed his to-go meal, and ran out the door. He quickly swallowed down his meal as he ran to Sakura's house. Of course, it was only after he had run ten blocks that he realized he was going the wrong way. This was, in short, not his day.

* * *

The doorbell rang, but Sakura didn't care. Her parents were out on missions and she certainly wasn't going to answer the door. Especially not in her current state. The doorbell rang a second time. Then a third time, shortly followed by a fourth time. But Sakura was persistent. She would not move. Then the doorbell started to ring repeatedly without even any brief intervals. It seemed as if whoever it was at the door was getting impatient.

After five minutes of hearing the oh-so-traditional _ding-dong_ (I mean, who came up with that anyway?), Sakura finally gave in. She answered the door and found herself face-to-face with Sasuke. _Not now…_she thought, though she truly was glad he was here, _I'm still busy trying to get over him, and now he has to come over here and make me want him more!_

Sasuke's thought process was a tad bit different. _She's been crying…I hope it wasn't because of me. It can't be because of me…she doesn't even know yet! Maybe she stubbed her toe…or was cutting onions…or she poked her eye, uh, both of them…_

Though these were all likely possibilities (if they can even be called _that_), Sasuke had a strange feeling her cause of stress had been him.

Before Sakura could ask what he was doing at her house, he pulled her close and was about to kiss her, but decided at the last minute that a hug would be safer and pulled her into a soft embrace. Luckily, Sakura didn't notice his change of action, she was too busy enjoying the feel of his arms around her.

"I saw you and Katana the other night"

"I'm sorry"

"You love her"

"I don't" said Sasuke automatically.

"Really?"

Sasuke sighed and decided he should come clean, else he'd forever lose his sanity. "I don't know."

Sakura nodded her head. She did not seem surprised, only upset. "Please Sasuke," she begged, "either me or her…not both. I can't deal with the pain."

Sasuke was speechless. He hated to hurt her.

Sasuke and Sakura stood there for all of five minutes, still locked in an embrace until…

"Whoa! Sasuke teme is at it again!!!" screamed Naruto, shocked at his so-called "emotionless" friend's recent actions.

_Why does he have to show up everywhere!?,_ thought a quite aggravated Sasuke.

Sasuke and Sakura quickly pulled away from each other. There was a quite visual blush on Sakura's face yet Sasuke looked unaffected as usual.

Naruto looked at Sasuke, waiting for an explanation. But Sasuke, being more of an I-am-emotionless-therefore-I-am-god type of person, merely walked away.

Or at least that is what it seemed like. Sasuke emotions (which supposedly don't exist) were actually having a raging battle inside him. Once he was out of sight from Sakura and Naruto, Sasuke began to run. He felt lightheaded…as if none of this was real. He didn't feel like Sasuke anymore. He felt like a normal person with normal problems. For Sasuke this was both a source of concern and leisure. Oh great…_another _paradox!

Then, in a puff of smoke, Kakashi appeared in front of him. Sasuke was running so fast that he had trouble stopping, but Kakashi quickly solved this problem by placing a sturdy hand out to stop him. And, as planned, Sasuke ran into it. One word: _Ouch._

"Ah, Sasuke," said Kakashi, completely ignoring the intense glare Sasuke was directing towards him, "Just the person who I was looking for. We need to have a talk."

"No," replied Sasuke through gritted teeth, "I don't think we do."

"Well I think we do."

"Well I don't"

"Well I do"

"Well _I _don't"

"Well that's nice" responded Kakashi. Sasuke grimaced.

"Fine. What?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed the whole Sakura-Katana dilemma you've been having."

"Last time I checked that wasn't any of your business."

Kakashi laughed. "Trust me, I'm not giving you advice on which one to pick…I just wanted to tell you that I like your new attitude."

Sasuke blinked. "…_what??_"

"Haven't you noticed? You're acting human now. You haven't even thought about killing your brother. Your biggest worry has now become your love life."

These words dumped the weight of reality onto Sasuke like an 800 ton anvil.

"That's not a bad thing Sasuke. Despite the despair your teen love life is bringing you," said Kakashi with a touch of amusement in his voice, "you're still happier now than you ever were before."

And it was true. Every word. Sasuke no longer wanted to be an avenger. He yearned for a better purpose in life, and now he had one. He could feel the pressure of killing Itachi lift of his shoulders. He hadn't felt this free since he was eight.

Kakashi, realizing his work here was done, said a quick good-bye to Sasuke and left. Sasuke, who felt he had already taken his small dose of emotion for today, decided that it was perhaps time for bed too.

* * *

That night Sasuke slept soundly for the first time in nine years.

* * *

**By now, you may have noticed that I never go in to Katana's thoughts. Fear not, there **_**is **_**a reason for this. To me, Katana is a strong person who doesn't like to show weakness, and that is how Sasuke sees her as well. Although this story is also occasionally told from Sakura's point of view, it is mainly from Sasuke's, and so I wanted my readers to see Katana the same way Sasuke did. I think that if I went into her character emotionally, it would ruin her seemingly flawless appearance and show "weakness" (in some form of speaking). I'm ninety-nine point nine percent sure (I don't know why I couldn't have just wrote '99.9' but what the heck) that I will be writing her thoughts in the last chapter when she is either rejected/chosen by Sasuke, because I think you guys will find it interesting to know what Katana is thinking. But for now, I want her character to appear the same way as Sasuke sees her so…yeah…**

**and sorry for getting a little angsty while describing Sakura...I can't help it...I love angst!**

**REVIEW OR DIE…**

**Okay just kidding but please review anyway -**


	6. Chapter 6

**I've been getting a lot of PMs asking why my chapters keep getting reposted. To answer your questions, my chapters kept getting deleted and I have to keep posting them on once again. I think it's because of my computer, because it never happens on any other ones, and other people who have experienced the same problem say that as well. But fear not, I have now (after much begging and pleading) obtained use of my dad's laptop for FanFiction, so this will not happen again.**

**Thank you guys sooooooo much for all your GREAT reviews and suggestions! You guys are the ****best!**** Every one of your suggestions has been useful to me with the exception of the PM I got suggesting I should make it a Sakura x Katana thing…yeah, that's not gonna happen…**_**sorry**_

**Anyway…I forced myself to finish writing this chapter (despite that it was three in the morning) since I probably wouldn't have any other time to do it. Between all my end of the school year parties and trying to summon up the courage to ask out my crush, this week has been hectic. I hope that this chapter meets up to your expectations, considering that I was half asleep when I wrote it. I must apologize in advance for this, because I have been known to mutter phrases like 'I love pie' while I was half asleep, so I hope this chapter turned out normal…I will edit it ASAP and if it already looks normal to you than I either already edited it or miracles really do happen.**

**Disclaimer: I will be the owner of Naruto just as soon as pie stops tasting yummy.**

* * *

Teme, what's wrong with you??? You've been acting really strange lately."

The onyx-eyed Uchiha looked up at his blonde friend with surprise. _So…even the dobe has figured it out…_

"What do you mean?" questioned Sasuke, though he was quite aware of his friend's meaning.

"Well," said Naruto uncertainly, "During missions, whenever you get agitated or worried, your sharingan automatically activates."

"I fail to grasp how this is important."

"Well, lately, your eyes have been flickering from black to red, and, call me crazy, but that's a little hard to ignore."

Sasuke sighed, "Is it really that obvious?"

"Yep. So are you going to tell me what's wrong or what?"

Sasuke clenched his fists. "I'm not here to have a therapy session," he said through gritted teeth.

Naruto snickered. "It sure looks like you need one."

Sasuke unclenched his fists in defeat.

"Fine…if you must know…"

* * *

Katana was standing in the middle of the Hokage's room, awaiting instructions for her mission. Despite the fact that Katana was stronger than Tsunade, she was still a jounin, therefore Tsunade still outranked her. Katana didn't mind, though. In fact, she'd have it no other way.

Tsunade, like Katana, had on an expressionless face. Although, Katana was skilled at hiding her emotions, she was horrible at analyzing others'. _A weakness_, she thought angrily, but her anger was quickly overcome by grief. _It hardly matters anymore, _she bitterly reflected.

"Katana!" said Tsunade sharply, forcing her out of her gloomy reverie.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"Have you told anyone about your…condition?" Tsunade inquired out of plain curiosity.

"No, Tsunade-sama." And then Tsunade did the unimaginable. She got out of her chair and caught Katana in a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry Katana," sobbed Tsunade, "You're so young and brave and smart and…oh god how could this happen to you?"

"It's not your fault, Tsunade-sama."

"Oh, stop with the formalities already!"

Katana smiled. "Don't worry about me Tsunade. I'm fine."

They both knew that was a lie, but Tsunade didn't press the matter. Quickly regaining her composure, Tsunade reseated herself. "Anyway, about the mission," continued Tsunade, as if nothing had happened, "Your job is to find and execute Kazeki Ryuu. All that we know about him is that he is a Wind ninja…and a murderer. Witnesses say that he blows wind out of his mouth to attack. His whereabouts are unknown, but he is most likely still in Suna, where he was last spotted." Tsunade handed Katana a picture of a quite attractive young man. He had bright orange hair and long bangs that partially covered his deep blue eyes. _His really __**pretty **__deep blue eyes, _Katana thought dreamily before she could stop herself.

"How old is he?" asked Katana distractedly.

Tsunade looked at Katana and frowned. The girl was practically drooling. "Remember, you're here to _kill _him. You should also know, nearly all of his victims were women. Now, how do you think that happened?"

It was a rhetorical question, so Katana remained silent. She felt ashamed of herself for being so naïve.

"And to answer your question, he's nineteen. This is considered an A-rank mission, but if you ask me, he's only a B or C-rank killer, considering that not a single one of his victims were ranked chuunin or higher. But just in case, I'll send another jounin with you." Tsunade eyed Katana worriedly before adding, "And maybe a medic nin as well…"

Katana shook her head. "It wouldn't help at all Tsunade-sama. You know it."

"I know…" Tsunade sighed wearily, "But…just in case…" Tsunade knew it made no sense, but she felt like she had to do _something_. "I'm pairing you up with Haruno Sakura. The girl's one of the best medics in Konoha." Katana smiled. At least one of her friends was going with her. "And as for another jounin," Tsunade continued, "…I think Neji will do."

Katana looked upset. She had secretly been hoping that Sasuke would be paired with her. Tsunade noticed this and immediately questioned, "Unless you have someone else in mind?"

Katana blushed. Tsunade had become like a mother to her, and she felt she could tell her anything. "S-Sasuke?" Katana mentally berated herself for stuttering.

Tsunade tried not to grin, but couldn't help herself. "Well, he _is _a jounin…why not?"

Katana kept her expression stoic, but on the inside she was smiling so much it hurt.

"You leave in half an hour. Since it was a last minute decision to let the others come along, I expect you to inform them of the mission in my stead. You'd better hurry if you expect to be packed by noon."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama"

"You are dismissed"

Katana bowed her head and left.

* * *

"Well…that sucks…" said Naruto after Sasuke had finished explaining, "But honestly I'm still amazed that you have emotions to begin with!"

Sasuke winced. "Just…try not to tell the whole world, will you?"

But Naruto couldn't hear him. He was too busy chanting, 'SASUKE'S A PLAYA!'

"NARUTO! Did you hear what I just said?"

"Huh?"

"I said…try not to tell the whole world."

"Don't worry teme. Your secret's safe with me…but I _can _tell Hinata…right?"

Sasuke sighed. "Sure," he responded, aware that Hinata was a trustworthy person, "But that's it!"

Naruto laughed. "As if anyone _else _would even bother listening to me!"

"True," smirked Sasuke, but he was quickly distracted by a puff of smoke, which signaled the arrival of Katana. She turned her head towards Sasuke and, in one breath, said, "Sasuke…mission…executing Wind nin…Suna…be at the gates by noon…details later…A-rank." And in another puff of smoke, she was gone.

"Yeesh…what's wrong with _her?_" Naruto questioned, eyeing Sasuke mischievously. _Yep, _thought Naruto, _he's __definitely__ interested…_

* * *

After Katana delivered the same hasty message to Sakura, she quickly headed home to pack. It wouldn't take long to pack, seeing as she always had a bag full of supplies ready for a mission, but for some reason, she had rushed. Ever since that…incident, she would often find herself rushing without any reason. Perhaps it was because time seemed more precious nowadays. _Well…I have twenty minutes to kill, _Katana thought with a sigh. _I might as well make __**some **__use of my time, _she concluded as she grabbed the bag of supplies and made her way to the training grounds.

* * *

Sakura was waiting patiently at the gates for Katana to arrive. She knew she was a bit early, but she had finished packing sooner than she had expected. What she did not know was that Sasuke would be coming along as well. So, as you can imagine, it came as a bit of a shock when she saw him come around the corner. "Sasuke! Are you coming on our mission too?"

"I guess…I'm pretty sure no other teams are heading out on missions right now. Today seems pretty tranquil. We have to kill some Wind nin, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Do you know if anyone other than Katana is coming?"

"No clue"

"Oh. Hey, here comes Katana…and she's all…dirty…" It was true. Katana's hair was messy and she was covered in spots of soot.

Sasuke shook his head, "Let me guess: training?"

Katana looked surprised. "How'd you know?"

"You mean other than the fact that thirty minutes ago, you were completely dirt-free, and now you're a walking, talking clot of mud?"

Katana smiled, "Oh…right…"

"So," said Sakura brightly, "Are you going to give us the details now?"

"Yeah. Basically there's this deranged psychopath killer—Wind nin—in Suna and we've got to kill him. He's considered an A-rank criminal, but Tsunade said he's probably more of a B-rank or C-rank."

"How would she know that?" asked Sakura.

"He's never killed anyone ranked chuunin or higher, but we shouldn't underestimate him just because of that."

"So, do we know any particular jutsus he uses? Any sort of special…powers? Food allergies?" Sasuke questioned.

"No, No, and No. But here's a picture." Katana handed them both the man's picture. She could see drool forming in the corners of Sakura's mouth as she examined the picture.

"Name?" asked Sasuke monotonously.

"Kazeki Ryuu"

Sasuke nodded. "Well, it's a three day trip from here to Suna so we'd better get moving."

* * *

Katana groaned in annoyance. _How can the others sleep with all these mosquitoes?_ Deciding that she probably wouldn't get to sleep anytime soon, she got up and walked around Sasuke and Sakura quietly. In less than five minutes, she had found a little stream which had no mosquitoes in the vicinity. Katana always had a knack for finding the most tranquil places. Suddenly overcome by sleep, she curled up into a ball and dozed off by the stream.

* * *

Sasuke opened his eyes, hoping that it would finally be morning, only to realize that it was 11:30. He sat up and stretched his aching limbs when he noticed that Katana was no longer there. Worry started to flow through him and he decided he would go look for her.

_Damn, _he thought five minutes later, _where could she have gone?_ But his thoughts were soon interrupted by a sword gashing across his right arm. Sasuke grimaced, and looked up to meet his attacker. It was Katana.

"Oh…hehe…" said Katana nervously, "It was you."

Sasuke glared. "Who else did you think it was?"

"Well I assumed you were still sleeping where we made camp! I just thought it was an enemy!"

"Why would an enemy be attacking us now?!"

"I don't know! I was panicking, okay?!"

"You panicked?" said Sasuke, changing his tone completely.

"Maybe…what's so surprising about that?"

"I don't know, you just never seemed like a panicking kind of person. You being stronger than the Hokage and all…"

"That doesn't mean I'm inhuman!"

"Okay, okay, sorry. It just surprised me, that's all."

Katana laughed, "Well, we should probably do something about that wound I gave you."

"Oh, right" said Sasuke, who had completely forgot about his injury.

* * *

Sakura rolled over in a feeble attempt to find a comfortable position. When it did not work, she got up and pulled at her hair in frustration. _I hope I didn't wake up Katana or Sasuke_. But when she looked over and found that neither of her companions was there, she began to worry. _I'd better go look for them…_

* * *

"Wait," said Katana, "Hear that?"

"Yeah," Sasuke replied, "Someone's coming"

"Okay, here's the plan, I'll distract him, and you attack from behind."

Sasuke nodded his head in agreement.

* * *

_I wonder where they went, _thought Sakura, hoping that they were both okay. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, that she didn't even notice the kunai being flung at her. She dodged it at the last minute, but not before a figure pounced down on her from above. She struggled, trying to get away from the man's grasp, but he was holding on to her to tightly for that. _Wait a minute…is that…_"Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked down in surprise. "Sakura…is that you?"

Sakura blushed, realizing that he was still holding on to her. "…Yeah"

"Oh," said Sasuke, who was clearly very flustered, "There's a good explanation for all this, you know."

"SASUKE!" called Katana's voice from afar, "DID YOU GET HIM?"

"Him?" repeated Sakura incredulously.

Sasuke sighed. He had a lot of explaining to do. This mission was certainly going to be interesting…

* * *

**So…their first night out on the mission, and they all attack each other. I can just tell that they're going to make a great team!**

**And for those of you people who felt Katana seemed too perfect, I hope this chapter changed that. So what's Katana's big secret? Well if I told you it wouldn't be a secret, now would it? And Kazeki Ryuu will not have any important roles so don't think that this will turn into a KataRyuu or SakuRyuu. Although it's not a bad idea...**

**Feel free to review and PM any more suggestions/questions/etc that you may have. Feedback is welcome. So is food.**


	7. Chapter 7

**For those of you who were confused, in chapter five (I think it was chapter five…), I wrote **_**'**__**I'm ninety-nine point nine percent sure that I will be writing her **_**('her' being Katana)**_** thoughts in the last chapter when she is either rejected/chosen by Sasuke'**_** and I wrote her thoughts in chapter six instead (which is NOT the last chapter). So do not make the mistake of thinking that Sasuke has already chosen someone yet. (I'm not really sure how you could, but I thought I'd clear that up anyway.)**

**To answer your question, **_**Sigel**_**, when I first started writing this, I didn't plan any of it out (which I normally do). So I pretty much just created Katana that way there would be someone perfect for Sasuke for me to make a short romance about. Then I wrote about Sakura a little and wondered **_**'is it really fair to have someone else just come in and take him like that? Besides, Sasuke and Sakura don't make a bad couple either.'**_** In other words, I started to feel bad for the girl, and before I knew it, I was writing a love triangle. I had to change the summary from saying 'SasuOC' to 'SasuSaku & SasuOC', and that was a huge step for me. Soon, I had a long list of reasons for why Sakura deserved to be with Sasuke and a long list of reasons for why Katana deserved to be with Sasuke (most of which came from my wonderful reviewers and PMers). Even now I'm not sure (I think I said that I was, but now I'm unsure again…) which one I want Sasuke to pick. It's so infuriating! We're close to the end (REALLY close), yet I still haven't figured this part out. Well that's just typical of me. I think this response was probably a bit longer than you needed, but at least I thoroughly answered the question…right?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Gawd.**

* * *

After Sakura had finished healing herself, she looked over at Sasuke, who had a huge gash across his arm. She shook her head in disbelief. "Sasuke, I can heal you now if you'd like."

Sasuke walked over and extended his arm towards Sakura so she could heal it. He felt her cool chakra flow through him. It felt so good, he didn't want her to stop. But after a few minutes, she did, much to Sasuke's disappointment.

He looked over at Katana, who was leaning against a tree with a far-off look on her face.

"How is it that Sakura and I were both in need of healing, yet you were completely unscathed?" Sasuke questioned Katana.

Katana shrugged and a smirk played on her lips, "I suppose it's just because I'm stronger."

"Or maybe it's because you're just a paranoid idiot…" muttered Sasuke.

"Hey! You can't pin the blame on me! You thought Sakura was an enemy too!"

"Well," said Sasuke dryly, "Maybe if you hadn't suggested it, I wouldn't have had such a stupid idea!"

Sakura frowned, "It's three in the morning guys. We might as well get _some_ sleep today."

"Sakura's right," agreed Katana.

Sasuke nodded his head in agreement, "Of course, if Katana hadn't been such a nuisance, we would've already had six hours of sleep…"

"And if Sasuke hadn't followed me—"

"I wouldn't have followed you if you hadn't left!"

"I wouldn't have left if you had picked a better place to make camp!"

"I would have picked a better place to make camp if anyone had objected!"

"I would have objected if you weren't wearing your "fuck-off" face all the time!"

"I wouldn't _be _wearing my "fuck-off" face if you weren't always around!"

Katana looked shocked. "Well then sorry I'm always around," said Katana in a defeated voice, before making her way back to camp, Sakura following closely behind.

_I'm such an idiot…_thought Sasuke regretfully.

* * *

Their journey the next day was spent in mostly silence. Sakura could feel the uneasiness between the two, and she certainly was not going to be the poor fool who tried to interfere. That day, Sakura decided where to make camp since she did not want another argument arousing. It was a small patch of grass surrounded by dense trees.

Sasuke watched as Katana slapped at the mosquitoes that encircled her. He could tell she would be leaving the camp site again. He still felt bad about what he had said and thought he should probably apologize. That night would provide the perfect opportunity.

* * *

Sasuke woke up in the middle of the night, expecting to find Katana's empty sleeping bag. To his surprise, she was still sleeping soundly. _Something doesn't seem right, _thought Sasuke. He subconsciously reached over and poked her arm, causing her to disappear in a puff of smoke. _A bunshin…clever idea…_he thought. He got up and quickly made his own two bunshin. He transformed one of them into the shape of Katana and kept one in the shape of him. Sasuke made them both lie down in place of the real Sasuke and Katana, so Sakura wouldn't get worried. He learned his lesson yesterday; he only hoped that Katana had learned her lesson too. _Oh come on, _he thought, _she's not stupid enough to attack me again…_

* * *

"I can't believe you attacked me again!"

"Sorry!" exclaimed Katana for the umpteenth time.

"How could you not know it was me!? The same exact thing happened yesterday!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know you figured out I had left a bunshin!?"

Sasuke sighed and looked down at the gash along his arm. "Sakura just healed this yesterday…"

Katana chuckled, "Boy is she going to be upset when she sees that."

Sasuke laughed with her, enjoying the moment.

"So," inquired Katana, "Why _did _you come?"

Sasuke frowned, "I wanted to apologize about yesterday, or maybe it was early this morning…I can't remember. Anyway, I didn't really mean what I said…I'm not really used to _not _insulting people." Sasuke felt sheepish adding on the last line.

Katana smiled. "I've noticed"

"You're supposed to say 'apology accepted'." Sasuke smirked back.

She simply laughed in response.

Sasuke looked over at her and couldn't help noticing how pretty she looked. This was the first time he had seen her with her hair let down. It flowed loosely over her shoulders and down her back, framing her face. She caught him staring and her eyes waited expectantly, as if she could already read his mind. Sasuke slowly leaned in and kissed her. It took her no more than a second to respond and kiss him back. She moved closer to him and Sasuke could feel his stomach tingling in delight. Time had no significance whatsoever in their minds as it slowly ticked by. Sasuke didn't want to stop, but knew that he had too. It was the same with Sakura's kiss. He had not wanted it to end, but had stopped for the sake of the other.

Sasuke slowly pulled himself away from her, but kept his hands on her waist. She looked at him with unreadable eyes and stood up, seemingly understanding Sasuke's reasons for ending their moment of passion.

"We should go back." she managed to say.

Sasuke nodded in response and followed her back, wondering why it was so hard to stay away from these two girls.

* * *

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Wake up!"

Sasuke reluctantly opened his eyes and found himself staring up at a pink-haired kunoichi. _God, she's beautiful, _thought Sasuke sleepily. He slowly got up and rubbed his eyes. He looked over and saw Katana still sleeping soundly.

"What's with you two?" asked Sakura, "Normally you two are the ones waking _me _up."

Sasuke looked up at her guiltily, not sure of what to say.

Luckily, Sakura intended for it to be rhetorical and got up to go wake Katana. But not before she noticed the gash on Sasuke's arm. She looked from Sasuke to Katana and frowned. "You two were up late again…weren't you?" said Sakura, sounding a lot like Sasuke's mother.

"Sakura! I'm sorry…I just wanted to apologize to her…I didn't mean for it to happen!"

Sakura looked at him, surprise evident on her face, "For _what _to happen, Sasuke?"

_Why did I have to say that??_, Sasuke thought bitterly. He remained silent, not wanting to lie to her, yet certainly not wanting to tell the truth. _Paradoxes just love me, don't they?_

It didn't take Sakura long to figure out what happened. "Sasuke, you bastard! You have no idea how much I care about you. I would die for you, yet you can go and do something you know would hurt me without a second thought," she screamed, close to tears.

"Sakura, I—"

"NO! I don't want to hear any more of your stupid excuses or apologies! I'm sick of them! I'm sick of _you_!" Sakura turned around, facing away from him. "I'm getting a head start to Suna, you and Katana can catch up later," she said coldly before she departed.

Sasuke watched her leave and felt like jumping off a cliff. A really tall cliff with jagged rocks at the bottom. How could he be so stupid as to upset her again?! He looked over and saw Katana stirring. _Well…we'd better get going if we want to catch up with Sakura…_

* * *

**Yes, the long-awaited KataSasu kiss has finally arrived. Although to my SasuSaku fans, it is probably the _unwanted_ KataSasu kiss…anyway…**

**I HAVE GOOD NEWS! I have decided whom Sasuke is going to pick, and it's for certain this time (I think…). I know I said in the beginning of this chapter that I had not yet decided, but as I was writing the chapter, the answer came to me. Just like that. If everything goes as planned, (which it probably won't) you will know who Sasuke picks during the next chapter...but please don't quote me on that. I am not someone who sticks to my outline, that much I can guarantee. If I was, Sasuke would've fallen in love with Naruto's goldfish three chapters ago. And please do not _ask _me who Sasuke will pick. I have been getting many PMs asking me this question (despite the fact that I have stated multiple times that I was not sure yet), and it is starting to get a tad bit annoying. Just please be patient.**

**Oh and in the last chapter I wrote that it was a five day trip to Suna…I meant three…hehe whoops…I think I edited that though so no worries.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ahh! My computer deleted a chapter again! Sorry, I know I promised it wouldn't happen anymore, but I wasn't thinking and just used my comp instead of my dads. Sorry…**

**And I must apologize once more for the much-much-later-than-usual update, but we were on vacation the last week and it was hard to find writing time. This chapter is also a lot longer than my other ones.**

**Disclaimer: I have recently been informed that Hell has frozen over, thus making me the owner of Naruto. Sorry Masashi…**

**On a brighter note, I present to you the much anticipated final chapter…**

* * *

_Stop looking at him! You don't love him. You don't even like him that much._ Katana sighed. She made one last feeble attempt to look somewhere other than the back of Sasuke's head. Naturally, her attempt failed. She couldn't help but notice how his messy black hair fluttered freely as he jumped from tree to tree, hot on Sakura's trail. She couldn't help her intense desire to gaze deep into his obsidian eyes whenever he looked at her. And most of all, she couldn't help but hope that he felt the same way towards her. Love never meant much to her. All of her previous friends would babble on about falling in love, but she always remained unaffected. Until…that day…the day that changed everything. _No! Don't think about that, _Katana scolded herself, but it was too late. Images that induced feelings of pain and suffering began flowing freely through her head.

_First, she saw cold, grey eyes filled with malice and contempt flash before her._

_Then she felt that feeling of resignation. The feeling that she was now condemned to death and there was no way out._

_He was pulling his sword out of its sheath and walking towards her. He wanted nothing more than to kill her, she could feel it._

_But above all, she felt fear. Fear of death, fear of pain, fear of everything. Before she knew it, she was consumed by it._

_The last thing she felt was his savage laughter reverberating through her head, drowning out all other noises._

But before any more agonizing memories could reach her, something pulled her out of her trance. Something even worse than her memories: Pain.

It seared through her with an unimaginable force. Every inch of her body was filled with it. She writhed and convulsed without any awareness of her surroundings. She heard someone calling to her from a distance but quickly disregarded it. There was nothing that could distract her from the pain she was feeling. At the moment, nothing seemed more important than to rid herself of it. She felt herself screaming, but she could not hear it. Everything around her was muted. She felt only pain. But as quickly as it came, it receded and Katana could feel it slowly ebb away. Her attack drained her of so much energy that she did the only thing she could do. She passed out.

* * *

Sakura was tense. She stared from Katana's limp figure to Sasuke, who was pacing back and forth. She bit her lip, not sure how to communicate her thoughts. "I don't know what happened…" she said slowly. It was the first time in a long time she had uttered those words since she had become a medic.

Sasuke nodded his head. He knew that Sakura tried all she could. "Do you have any ideas of what might have happened?" asked Sasuke.

"Only one. She could have been remembering a physically or emotionally painful event from her past…but the pain looked, well…_real_. Usually, people don't writhe or squirm when they have these sorts of…_attacks_, they just scream because they _remember _the pain. But Katana, she was actually _experiencing _the pain. That means the source of it is still in her body. She was probably remembering the event that caused her pain, but whatever injury she obtained from that event still isn't healed."

"So do you know what the injury is?"

"That's the problem…normally—not to brag or anything—I'd be able to figure out the source of pain easily. Even if it _wasn't _an injury."

"What else could it be?" questioned Sasuke.

Sakura shrugged, "Illnesses…poisons…things like that. But if I can't find the source, that means I'm not familiar with it, and if I'm not familiar with it _and _can't figure out where or _what _it is, it has to be a very complex substance only very few people know of. After all, Tsunade made sure I was well-educated in all known substances from other villages, so it can't be a foreign substance from a different village. It's very rare for people who aren't associated with their villages to make things of such a high caliber, so the chances of my theory being right are very low. But that's the only idea I have…"

Sasuke was amazed at how much Sakura knew. He always knew she was a good medic, but he had never seen her act so professionally. "So," he began slowly, "Once she regains consciousness, we can ask her if she was remembering a physically painful event. Then we'll know if your theory is correct or not."

"I suppose…" Sakura said uncertainly.

Sasuke frowned, "Is it that bad of an idea?"

"It's not that. It's just…well…when people have attacks like this, it's not for little things like spraining an ankle or bruising your knee."

"So?"

"_So_, it's probably something seriously bad that she has to deal with everyday. Normally people don't want to talk about things like that. If she did, she would've told us already. Besides, reminding her about it might make her have another attack."

"Just _remembering _it will give her another attack?" asked Sasuke incredulously.

"Well, normally they're able to control themselves and think about something else, but every now and then they slip up. Since we haven't seen Katana have an attack before, she's probably well-trained at keeping her thoughts away from whatever event she was remembering, but reminding her about it so soon after she experienced an attack may trigger it again. We probably shouldn't risk it."

Sasuke nodded his head, showing that he now fully understood the situation. "So what do you think we should do?"

Sakura thought about it before replying, "I think we should act as if nothing happened and tell Tsunade when we get back. She may not know. Well I hope she doesn't know…"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, Tsunade is—to my knowledge—the best medic ninja _known_, and if she hasn't been able to heal her yet, it means that there probably _isn't_ a way to heal her."

Sasuke stood silently until the depth of the words sunk in. _Does this mean that Katana is…_ But Sasuke refused to allow himself to finish that thought.

"But…this is all just a theory, right?" asked Sasuke hopefully.

"Yes," said Sakura, with a sad smile on her face, "…Just a theory."

* * *

Katana woke up to find herself in an uncomfortable white bed. She quickly sat up and took in her surroundings. She was in what looked like a small hotel room with only two beds. Lying on the bed next to her was Sakura, but Sasuke was nowhere to be found.

"Finally awake, huh?"

Katana turned around so quickly that she cricked her neck. She spotted Sasuke in a chair in the far corner of her room, smirking. She glared and massaged her neck. _That hurt, _she thought regretfully.

"So," said Katana, "Where are we?"

"We're in Suna…we got here while you were unconscious."

"Oh…" said Katana, as memories of her attack returned to her. _They're getting worse_, she thought sadly.

"We're not really sure what happened, we just found you lying unconscious. We just figured that it was lack of sleep that left you drained."

Katana looked over him, scrutinizing his expression. Something didn't seem right. _Would Sakura—one of the best medic nins in Konoha—really label something like this so carelessly?_ She eyed him carefully, waiting to find any signs of dishonesty. None were there. But still, she could not be sure if Sasuke was just being extra careful to hide his motives, or if he was being genuine. Or it could just be the fact that she was hopeless at analyzing other people's expressions. She shrugged it off, knowing that there was no way they could know everything.

"How long have we been here?" Katana asked, her voice sharply cutting through the prolonged silence.

"We arrived in Suna late last night…or perhaps it was early this morning. As you can imagine, lugging you around half the day slowed us down considerably and we are a bit behind schedule," Sasuke smirked.

Katana laughed nervously. "Well, we'd better start looking for this Ryuu person. We'll find him faster if we split up. Wake up Sakura and tell her to search the central area of Suna. I'll search the outskirts. You can tackle everything in between," Katana finished with a smirk of her own.

"Even though that layout is completely unfair, I will agree to it…as long as _you're _the one waking up Sakura." Sakura was still angry at Sasuke, and Sasuke knew she needed some time to calm down. _Then_ he would apologize. Come to think of it, he seemed to be doing a lot of that during the past few weeks. But for some reason, he had the feeling that an apology would not suffice this time.

Katana arched an eyebrow, a bit surprised at Sasuke request. "Okay…_I'll_ wake up Sakura…"

* * *

"Have either of you found any leads?" asked Katana, "I searched the outskirts of town and found absolutely none."

"I didn't find any either," said Sakura.

"I found one," said Sasuke monotonously, as if he were talking about the weather, "Then again, that's no surprise, seeing as I had to search practically _twice _the amount of area that you two had to cover," he added, throwing a death glare at Katana.

Katana simply shrugged. "Just get on with it."

"A waiter at Himoto's Grill said he saw someone matching Ryuu's description. According to the waiter, he's was just there yesterday with a girl."

Katana and Sakura nodded, taking in all this information. "So do we know what this girl looks like?"

"Brunette wearing a pink dress. Apparently she was making a fuss about breaking a nail…the waiter also heard Ryuu tell the girl to meet him Tuesday outside a place called Faery Park."

"But that was yesterday!" exclaimed Sakura.

Sasuke nodded.

"I was just at Faery Park. It's just this large field of grass surrounded by trees. It has benches and fountains and seemed like a picnic area. But it seemed way too crowded for a criminal and his victim to go to. I didn't notice anything suspicious either," commented Katana.

"But you were only checking the outskirts of Suna, right?" questioned Sakura.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Was this park close to the gates of Suna?" she asked again, ignoring Katana's question.

Katana gasped in realization. "_Really_ close…you don't think he could have taken her out of Suna?"

"That's probably what happened," agreed Sasuke solemnly.

"The only thing to do now is to go there and see if we can find any clues to lead us to him, before he strikes again…"

* * *

"I just talked to a man who was here overnight. He said he saw Ryuu and another girl, whom he addressed as Amaya, leave Suna last night," said Sakura, ten minutes after they had arrived at Faery Park. "Also, the woman addressed him as Ryuu, so we _definitely_ have the right guy."

"Then we must search the area around Suna's gates. He probably didn't bother going too far, so we won't either, but I think it would be faster if we split up again," Katana stated quickly, not wanting to waste more precious time.

* * *

Katana made her way towards a large Pond near Suna, yearning a sip of it's (hopefully) crisp, cool water. She had been searching for clues of this Ryuu person for three hours, and Sakura and Sasuke weren't having much luck either. They were all meeting back at Suna's gates every hour to check if anyone had found any leads. So far, none had been found.

Katana reached down and to take a deep sip from the clear, still pond water when she noticed something dark out of the corner of her eye. She looked up and screamed involuntarily at the sight. It was a body of a girl—brunette—floating lifelessly at the surface of the pond, facedown. Not wanting to, but knowing she had to, she reached over and pulled the corpse from the pond. Her stomach immediately felt queasy and her anger boiled at the thought of the ruthless killer who did this. She was also feeling a bit sickened that she had almost drunk water contaminated with the germs of a decaying body. The girl was wearing a white T-shirt and shorts, apparently having shed her previous pink dress. _Maybe this is a different girl who happens to be a brunette. She could be completely unrelated to this Kazeki Ryuu killer._ But then Katana spotted the girl's fingernails. They were all painted pale pink, and they were all perfectly manicured. All but the one on her left index finger, which was—to Katana's dismay—broken.

She examined the girl and, although she was no medic nin, she could still tell that this girl was drowned…right here…forcibly. But something was wrong, there was no smell of decay and the girl's skin still had color, it wasn't pale and sickly like most other drowned corpses. Not only that, but the eyeliner that outlined her eyes was running, leaving black streaks behind. That meant…this girl was _just _killed. Surely if it had been longer the eyeliner would have already washed away.

_But if she was just killed, that means the killer was just here…heck, he still could be! He could be watching me right now for all I know! _Katana's skin prickled at the thought, but then she reminded herself of her strength and regained her courage. She swiftly got up and made two kage bunshin: One to fetch Sakura and one to fetch Sasuke. After all, she may need back up.

Katana slowly stood up and began circling the area, looking for any signs of the killer. Just as she was about to take another step, she felt the presence of someone else…someone with a murderous intent. She turned on her heel, expecting to face her adversary, but only to find herself facing a horde of kunai headed in her direction. She lithely dodged the first few just in time and pulled out her own kunai and deflected the rest. The presence was now growing stronger, but she could not tell from which direction her foe was attacking from.

"Come out," Katana urged in a confident voice, "Unless of course you're scared…Ryuu."

Ryuu's laughter could be heard clearly ringing through the trees, but not from a distinct point. "You seem awfully sure of yourself. If I were you, I'd cut it out, before you get killed. Kunoichis are always the easiest to crush."

Katana smiled. He'd regret that soon enough. The second she could find out his location, he'd eat those words.

"Katana!" cried a voice from behind her. _Sakura…_

Sakura caught up to her quickly and asked, "He's here, isn't he? I can feel him."

"Another kunoichi!? This is going to be way too easy!" said Ryuu in an entertained voice.

Sakura clenched her fists. Unlike Katana, she could not take backlash so uncaringly.

"If you think kunoichis are so pathetic, then come out and fight instead of hiding yourself!" Sakura challenged.

"If you guys _weren't _so pathetic, you'd be able to find me by now, and I wouldn't _have _to come out."

And then more kunai, along with shuriken this time, were thrown at them. Katana just barely dodged them all, but Sakura got cut across her arm and leg. Katana was getting tired of this game and her patience was beginning to run out.

"Get down," she abruptly ordered Sakura before hurling a multitude of incredibly small needles in every direction. They were so thin that the only way you could see them was if the sunlight glinted off of them. She perked her ears up to pick up any sounds, and less than a second later, she heard a sharp intake of breath…

The needles had met their target. She spun around to the direction in which the man's gasp came from and flung any weapons she grasped his way. He had no choice but to jump skyward to avoid Katana's attacks, but in doing so he would reveal himself. Seeing no other option, he leaped upward.

He was every bit as gorgeous as his picture, but Katana and Sakura weren't going to give him mercy for that. Katana continued her attacks on him, keeping him busy, and Sasuke soon joined her. Meanwhile, Sakura approached him from behind. It would only take one punch from her to kill him. Sakura carefully made her way towards him and, once she was close enough, she threw her fist in his direction. Unfortunately, Ryuu sensed her at the last minute and moved to the side. Sakura still managed to get his arm, though, and it now hung uselessly at his side. She had broken several of his bones, leaving his left arm worthless. Infuriated, he opened his mouth and blew out a gust of wind, causing Sakura to fly back and slam hard into a tree. She fell to the ground, unconscious. And what was worse, she lay right near a cliff. Sasuke and Katana only hoped that it was unconsciousness that kept Sakura's body limp, rather than death.

"Sasuke," said Katana, "Go get Sakura somewhere safe. Preferably somewhere away from that cliff. I'll keep him occupied while you're gone." For once, Sasuke didn't argue back and complied. He ran towards Sakura and was about to kneel down to pick her up when he felt a weapon being hurled at him. He turned around and saw a kunai, inches from his face, but he had no time to move out of its way. Sasuke closed his eyes, awaiting the pain, but it was not his scream that he heard pierce through the trees, nor was it his body that fell to the ground. It was Katana's.

Sasuke watched as her form fell to the ground limply. It was the only action Sasuke had ever seen her do without grace. He was still failing to grasp what had just happened. She had jumped in front of him at the last minute, knowing that her life was at risk…all for him. Sasuke was in shock. _Am I really worth it?_

But the real problem was that the two people he cared about the most were now lying unresponsively beside him, and he didn't even have time to check if they were still alive. And it was all because of Ryuu. Sasuke felt himself build up with anger. He felt just like when Itachi slaughtered his whole clan…he wanted revenge. He raced towards Ryuu with a speed that he would normally be incapable of. Ryuu tried attacking him, but Sasuke's sharingan made that impossible for him. Now Ryuu was trying to blow gusts of wind at him, but each time, Sasuke would move out of the way. He was just too quick.

"Aww…I think someone needs a nap!" teased Ryuu maniacally. Sasuke's temper was now fully discharged. Sasuke kicked Ryuu's feet from under him, causing him to fall to the ground. Then, in a quick, fluid motion, he pulled out a kunai, and plunged it through his stomach. Ryuu glared lividly at Sasuke and—knowing he only had less than a minute to live—he blew out one final gust of wind. Sadly, it was just as powerful as Ryuu had planned for it to be, and it blew Sasuke, Sakura, and Katana over that menacing cliff…

**(A/N: A thought just occurred to me. If I were to stop the chapter right here—which I am not—it would literally be a cliffhanger! Get it…? Aw, come on, you know it's funny…)**

Sasuke had no time to think. All he knew was that he was falling alongside Katana and Sakura off a cliff with jagged rocks awaiting them at the bottom. Sasuke, not even aware of what he was doing, reached over for Sakura and pulled her close and then did the same for Katana. No longer having any free hands, he reached built up chakra in his feet and reached them over the side of the cliff. He came to an abrupt stop and was now standing sideways on the wall of the cliff. He climbed up as fast as he could, but the fact that he was holding an extra 250 pounds, walking up a cliff sideways, and already tired from a battle made things a bit harder. Once he got to the top he put Katana and Sakura down and examined them. Sakura was thankfully only unconscious, but her body was covered in scrapes and bruises. Katana had several kunai protruding from her back (which Sasuke quickly removed), one of which had hit a pressure point, knocking her out. She was drenched in her own blood and was clearly not going to regain consciousness anytime soon. They had both suffered serious blood loss. Sasuke began to get worried and rushed away from Suna full speed, hauling Sakura and Katana along.

* * *

"There's no reason to be worried, Mr. Uchiha. They're both going to be fine. You may have been overreacting a bit. They lost a lot of blood, but it's nothing serious. We'll discharge them tomorrow," said a female nurse, emerging from Sakura and Katana's room. Sasuke exhaled slowly, relieved. "You may visit them now, if you like," the nurse added. He shook his head, "No…I'd rather not." They were all right, and that's all that mattered. "Are you sure?" asked the nurse, confused. _This boy has just been hammering me with questions like 'Will they be okay?' or 'Are they going to die?' for the past fifteen minutes, and now—when he hears that they're okay—he doesn't want to visit them?_

"Yeah, I'm sure."

The nurse glared, "YOU GET YOUR BACKSIDE IN THERE RIGHT NOW!" screamed the nurse. Sasuke's eyes went wide and he quickly nodded his head before edging away from the nurse, into Sakura and Katana's room.

"Jeez," he muttered under his breath, "Someone needs to take a little field trip to the nearest mental institute…"

"WHAT WAS THAT?" shrieked a voice from the other side of the door.

"Hehe…I meant…me," said Sasuke in a nervous voice before moving in between Sakura and Katana's beds. He stopped and sat down in the chair a few inches away from him and put his hands against his temples in a pathetic attempt to clear his mind. Something had been nagging him ever since the incident…a feeling of relief and dread. But he was not sure what it was. He played back the battle in his head, searching for something that he had overlooked before. Sasuke gasped in realization as he found the source of his discomfort:

Never once had he been able to willingly choose between Katana and Sakura. For anything. Yet when they were falling off that cliff in a life or death situation, who had he reached out for first? _Sakura. _It seemed so clear to him now. Sakura was always there with him, always there _for_ him. Katana always seemed perfect: so graceful, so pretty, so strong. But Sakura was always more dedicated, more spontaneous, and so much more perfect for him. He felt relief wash over him, soon to be replaced by dread. Sasuke still didn't want to hurt Katana. _I guess I can only hope she never liked me that much…_

But that theory was not very convincing, especially when unwelcome thoughts of 'But she kissed me' were floating through his head.

He still could not deny the happiness that filled him up as he realized that he—the 'heartless' Uchiha Sasuke—was in love…

"_In love…_" the words seemed so foreign as they rolled off his tongue. But still, they offered him comfort and hope. He absolutely _had _to talk to Sakura. That much was certain. And then, as if some higher power had heard his plea, Sakura's refreshing green eyes unwillingly wrenched themselves open. "S-Sakura…?" stuttered Sasuke.

Sakura met his eyes. "Sasuke! What happened—

"Sakura," Sasuke interrupted, "I'll explain all about the mission later. But now I…I have something important to tell you…"

"What is it?" said Sakura as Sasuke trailed off.

"Well to start off, I'm sorry about upsetting you the other day…"

Sakura looked away, her green eyes now glossy. " I told you before…me or her. Not both. I honestly don't mind if you like her more. I just don't want you to hesitate in telling me. It'll only be worse. Just tell me now and you won't have to pretend that—

"Sakura! I'm not pretending. How could you possible think that?"

"Oh," exclaimed Sakura, slightly shocked. "Then you'll have to choose soon before you hurt either of us mo—

"I _have_ chosen," Sasuke interrupted for the third time, "And now it's so obvious that it makes me wonder why I never realized it before!"

"That's…good," said Sakura in a quiet voice. Her green eyes turned away from him, determined not to return his gaze. She lay quietly, waiting for Sasuke to continue. Minutes passed by, and he still didn't utter a word. When it came to patience, Sakura exceeded all expectations, but that Uchiha was just so damn stubborn!

"SO WHO IS IT ALREADY?"

Sasuke smirked, "Well, since you seem so interested in something that doesn't concern you in the least bit, I suppose I have no choice but to break the news to you…"

Sakura's heart sank. She should have never asked.

"…You're stuck with me."

Sakura looked up, certain she had misheard. "W-what?"

"I said…you're stuck with me," repeated Sasuke with a genuine smile, which Sakura gladly returned.

* * *

"Katana! Katana!" screamed Sasuke, even louder this time.

Katana sighed. She supposed it would be foolish to pretend that she couldn't hear him any longer. Ever since that day at the hospital—the day she was supposedly asleep—she had been avoiding him. She already knew the truth, but if Sasuke said it directly to her, it would confirm it. And the truth was something she wasn't in a hurry to accept. It was a cowardly act that she shouldn't have to resort to, so she turned around to face Sasuke with her head held high.

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"I have to talk to you…"

"Then talk"

"I…uh…well you see…"

"Sometime _today_, preferably"

"O-okay…"

Katana sighed. "If you want to tell me about you and Sakura, it's no big deal. You don't have to come and apologize."

"Oh. Well that makes things a bit easier. So, you're really not upset, right?"

"Not at all"

"Thank god. You're too good for me anyway."

This caught Katana off guard. "Huh?"

"I mean, you're practically flawless in everything you do. I mean, outdoing Tsunade at age seventeen. Jeez. I mean, a few years from now, and you could wipe out Akatsuki single-handed."

"A few…years," repeated Katana, her breathing uneven. There was no way she'd be doing _anything_ useful in a few years.

"Are you okay?" said Sasuke, not sure what he said wrong.

Katana looked up at him, quickly replacing her gloomy look with a cheerful façade.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just remembered that I forgot to…uh…make my bed this morning."

"…Oh. Well, remember the first time we met?"

She smirked at the memory. "How could I forget?"

"And do you remember the attack you used on me?"

"Yep"

"It's the same move that I used on that Ryuu freak to kill him. I just thought I'd tell you."

"So I guess our success is all because of me," Katana joked, though no traces of real humor could be heard in her voice.

Sasuke chuckled. "Yeah, pretty much. But the important part is…I got all the credit. Well, I've got to go now. So…see you later I guess"

"Yeah…later"

With that, Sasuke turned around and made his way towards a pink-haired figure. They smiled and took each other's hands. Katana stood still, rooted to the spot. She was extremely happy for them both. They really were perfect for each other. But that didn't change how she felt. Finally, she found the strength to move, but Sasuke's words still stayed in her head. _Too good for me…Practically flawless…A few years…_

Katana managed a bitter smile at the irony of it all. She was _far_ from perfect.

She would never find love. She would never have a family. She would never have a chance to do something heroic that offered her eternal remembrance. All because she would never have time. Her life was coming to an end. She tried to deny it multiple times and she always held on to a small amount of hope, just in case. But the truth was both undeniable and irreversible.

Whether she liked it or not, she was dying.

* * *

**First of all, SORRY to **_**Dreaming Upside Down, sigel, kurumihirota, Rachel, lovefatedestiny, hinatas-child, kc, chinbaldo, Jaded-cherry-blossom, emo-lead-singer, Hyuuga Suki, **_**and **_**Chocolate Chan**_**. I love you guys for giving me good reviews and I'm really, really sorry for not making it KataSasu!!!!!!! SORRY!!!!!!!!! I can only imagine the flames I'll be getting from some of you diehard KataSasu people…but I'm really flattered my story was so popular that I'd even **_**have **_**diehard KataSasu fans. I never thought my first FanFic would have so many reviews. My goal was only twenty, but 50+ is more than I could've ever have hoped for. **

**Okay, so if you're wondering why the heck I picked the cliché SasuSaku pairing, it is because (like some of you guessed) I want to make a sequel. That's right, I'm planning on writing a sequel. I'm sorry, but I'm not really into Gaara and Sakura together (although there are some GREAT stories about it), and any other pairing with Sakura seems kind of…**_**weird**_** to me. I don't mind ItaSaku, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think of any way to make it ItaSaku and still keep it in sync with this story. It would get too out of control. When I thought about Katana though, she seemed like a pretty good match for a lot of people. I just thought that this would be the best way to keep them both happy. Sorry for the sad ending, though.**

_**Anjohhh, **_**I consider Tsunade motherly to everyone in Konoha. I still think she would be motherly to Sakura more than anyone else, but the reason she was acting so motherly towards Katana is because her "condition" (which I will go deeper into during the sequel) is very serious. I mean, come on…she's dying! I have a feeling Tsunade would do that to Tenten, Kiba, Lee, Shikamaru, Hinata, Naruto, etc. if they were in Katana's situation. Sorry if Katana came off as a Mary-Sue to you.**

_**Lovefatedestiny, **_**I hope you don't die because of my choice…you were my first reviewer after all, and for that I must thank you.**

**The sequel, which I'm pretty sure is going to be called ****Love is Deadly**** (hehe) is not yet planned out…but I know how it is going to end. I have someone in mind for Katana, but I still want you guys to tell me who you think she should be paired up with. I'm BEGGING you to tell me what you think. It really does help.**

**Even if you had your heart set on the KataSasu pairing, please give my sequel a chance. It would mean a lot to me. And I'm going to need some extra time planning out the sequel, so it will not be coming out right away. I very, VERY highly doubt it will take more than a month to get it out, unless of course I suffer some sort of serious traumatization.**

**Wow, I wrote a lot of author's notes…**


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